When building a better world, disability inclusion shouldn't be optional

But it's important to remember, we're trying to change the lives of individual people, and some are more included than others.

About 80 per cent of people with disabilities live in developing countries, including more than 700 million people in the Indo-Pacific region.

Women and girls with disabilities are among the poorest and most marginalised, and are typically not included in development processes. This exclusion can be exacerbated when people with disabilities are displaced due to disasters, are geographically isolated, and in conflict-affected communities.

Including people with disability is central to achieving the vision of a world that leaves no one behind, where universal access to opportunities is upheld, safety is guaranteed, and all individuals are treated fairly.

Realising this vision means ensuring the lived experiences of people with disabilities are a core part of development approaches. This will require continued investment in inclusive education and training, better data, and more accountability.

We've seen how access to inclusive education and skills development programs can change the lives of people with disability.

Through the Vanuatu Skills Partnership, a locally led initiative of the Australian and Vanuatu governments, people with disability have gained qualifications and gone on to find work. In Indonesia, inclusive education programs at pilot schools through the Innovation for Indonesia's School Children (INOVASI) program have led to clear improvements in learning outcomes for students with disability.

Training for teachers, accessible infrastructure, adequate funding, access to assistive devices, and updating assessment processes are key to creating inclusive education settings for children. This reform needs to extend to tertiary and skills development programs to ensure people with disabilities can develop skills and gain qualifications to secure jobs or start a business.

Another key area of investment is data collection and information systems. Why this matters is simple: better data leads to better decisions.

A lack of reliable data contributes to the exclusion of people with disabilities from development programs.

Data collection should include specific data about disability, such as disability prevalence, restrictions on participation, and the barriers to inclusion that people with disabilities face. It also needs to acknowledge how context affects data collection.

In the Philippines, a disability information management system collects disaggregated data and measures the impact of quality-of-life outcomes for people with disability participating in the Australian Government's Pathways Program. The information has enabled program staff to continuously learn and adapt their access and inclusion processes.

By working with other governments and partners to improve data about people with disabilities, we can be more informed about who we are helping, what support they need, and how best to provide it.

But investment in both education and training, and improved data collection, must be supported by stronger accountability.

Considering the needs of people with disabilities shouldn't be optional. Disability equity must be mainstreamed across development sectors, with specific focus on climate resilience, humanitarian relief, infrastructure, and assistive technology.

Initiatives with investments over a certain amount should deliver outcomes that have a disability equity and rights objective. Most development programs should also be required to effectively address disability equity.

By enhancing the accountability of programs, development partners will have to include adequate resourcing for disability and increase their engagement and employment of people with disabilities.

Australia has the opportunity to ensure people with disability are at the forefront of decisions and solutions to address development challenges. This could set the gold standard globally and help build a more resilient and inclusive world.